Ski boot binding mechanisms are traditionally screw-mounted on skis. An assembly of this kind requires several preliminary operations, and in particular the drilling of holes in the ski, the threading of these holes when the skis are made of metal, and the insertion of the screws.
In addition to the problems of loose parts and the risk of loss of the screws, the mounting requires that the operator exhibit some skill and concentration, especially as regards the positioning of the holes, a procedure requiring special tools.
Furthermore, the presence of the holes in the upper surface of the ski leads to many problems, in particular:
the risk of the entry water on the inside of the ski and, therefore, of the rotting or deformation and damaging of the ski under the effect of freezing;
the fragility imparted to the ski because of the discontinuity of the upper surface prepared in this way.
This latter problem makes itself felt especially with respect to cross-country skis used for racing, for which mechanical resistance is provided basically by the upper layer of the ski and as a result of the narrow width of such a ski, the drilling of binding holes causing a reduction of up to 20% of the transverse surface area.
AT 270 466 proposes bonding the base plate of a binding to the upper surface of the ski using means such as gluing, welding, or duplicate molding.
Bonding means of this kind are, however, difficult to apply by the ordinary retailer, since they require either special tools, for example those used for welding or duplicate molding, or special precautions, for example those required for gluing. DE 23 63 662 proposes, to achieve the rapid mounting/de-mounting of the binding, the screw-mounting of a base plate on the upper surface of the ski, and the assembly of this base plate with the rest of the binding by means of an auxiliary plate capable of being slid and then screwed onto the base-plate.
A binding of this kind does not solve the problem of mounting a binding without drilling holes in the upper surface of the ski, and requires, furthermore, an additional part for fastening the baseplate to the binding itself. This binding does not, moreover, remedy the problem of loose parts, since screws are required at least for attaching the base plate to the auxiliary plate.